Technology - Wireless - Broadband 9 - 802-16 WiMAX MAC

Synopsis

We describe more of WiMAX’s advanced techniques, including: multicasting, mobile broadcasting, fast base-station switching, macro diversity handoff, sleep and idle modes, and multi-antennae techniques including MIMO, Space Time Coding and Adaptive Antenna Systems. We review WiBro, 802.16m, 802.20, WiMAX chipsets, competing technologies and discuss WiMAX’s prospects in licensed and unlicensed spectrum.

Table of Contents

• 1. Synopsis
• 2. Media Access Control (MAC)
  • 2.1 Handoffs between base-stations
    • 2.1.1 Hard handoffs
    • 2.1.2 Fast Base Station Switching (FBSS)
    • 2.1.3 Macro Diversity Handoff (MDHO)
  • 2.2 Power saving
    • 2.2.1 Sleep Mode
    • 2.2.2 Idle mode
• 3. Multiple antennae techniques
  • 3.1 Space Time Coding (STC)
    • 3.1.1 The Alamouti Code
  • 3.2 Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO)
  • 3.3 Adaptive Antennae Systems (AAS)
• 4. Chipsets
  • 4.1 Sequans SQN1170
  • 4.2 Intel Centrino WiFi and WiMAX chips
• 5. Quality of Service (QoS)
• 6. Multicast and broadcast
  • 6.1 Multicast IP packets
  • 6.2 Mobile broadcasting
• 7. Femtocells
  • 7.1 Picocells from HFC cables
• 8. Competing technologies
  • 8.1 WiFi 802.11
  • 8.2 3G and 4G
  • 8.3 802.20
  • 8.4 WiMAX versus LTE
    • 8.4.1 SIMs and customer identification systems
    • 8.4.2 Interworking with 2.5G and 3G networks
    • 8.4.3 Mixed voice and data
    • 8.4.4 Uplink power efficiency – OFDM versus SC-FDMA
    • 8.4.5 Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR)
    • 8.4.6 WiMAX chipset power consumption test
  • 8.5 WiMAX for laptops, LTE for handsets
  • 8.6 802.16m and LTE-Advanced
• 9. Related reports
  • 9.1 Market reports
  • 9.2 Technology reports
  • Exhibit 1 – Mobile WiMAX Applications and Quality of Service
  • Exhibit 2 – Altair WiMAX Chipset Power Consumption